On June 28, while she was preparing to drive up to Fort Collins for her exhibit's artist talk, she got a call informing her that all but two of her works had mysteriously disappeared from the gallery that week. Of the two pieces left, one had also been vandalized, Stransky said.

“Pretty much everything’s gone,” Stransky said.“I’d say this represents two years of my work, gone."

The university confirmed earlier this week that a number of items had been taken from the gallery, with a total estimated value of around $5,000. Stransky's estimations hover closer to $7,000 in commercial value, she said.

Because the case is currently under investigation, no more information was released by CSU as of Thursday.

Stransky said the six missing pieces include wearable art like a 3D-printed statement necklace, a 3D-printed wearable that responds to movement with LED light and a meticulously-constructed flexible 3D-printed "FabLinks" dress.

"That's going to be the most impossible to replace," Stransky said of the dress, which was supposed to be featured in October's ArtWear fashion show at the Lincoln Center. "It took me two years to make."

The most expensive piece to go missing, this Fablinks dress took Stransky two years to create.(Photo: Kristin Stransky)

As an artist who specializes in 3D printing and wearable pieces, Stransky said she's no stranger to having a few small pieces taken from exhibits. But, she added, artists often account for that sort of thing.

"I don’t know of anyone that’s ever had this magnitude, this scale of (their) work stolen," she said, adding that the whole ordeal was very unexpected. "I'm not a big-name artist, it doesn't really make sense."

Stransky was under the impression that the exhibit was being kept behind locked doors at the Electronic Art Gallery and that, because of large windows on one side, people could still see and interact with the pieces from behind the glass. The gallery is located inside the university's Visual Arts building.

It could be accessed with a now-missing key that was kept in a nearby lock box, Stransky added, saying it's also unclear if the gallery was under video surveillance.

With years of work washed away, Stransky said she's still holding out hope that the pieces will be returned.

"I really just want my work back. If it's not in perfect condition, I really don't care," she said. "It's just a huge waste of time, energy, resources."

Anyone with information about the missing pieces is encouraged to contact CSUPD at 970-491-6425.